NeuroAiDTM, a treatment for post-stroke recovery, reduced early cardiovascular events and deaths by half after stroke

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SINGAPORE, Oct. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuroAiD™, a treatment of post-stroke recovery containing natural extracts, reduces early cardiovascular events and deaths by nearly 50% on top of antiplatelet agents within three months after stroke onset, without an increase in bleeding rate and non-vascular deaths  according to research published online in the journal Stroke^[1].  

The CHIMES study is an academic international double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in 1099 patients having suffered an ischemic stroke of intermediate severity within 72 hours, treated by NeuroAiD™ or placebo and monitored for 3 months.

Considering the positive effects of NeuroAiD™ on cerebral blood flow and a potential role in "ischemic preconditioning," CHIMES researchers hypothesized that NeuroAiD™ may have an effect on preventing the occurrence of early vascular events after stroke onset. They analyzed a composite outcome consisting of vascular events and vascular deaths, all events being blindly adjudicated. NeuroAiD™ was given on top of secondary prevention therapies like antiplatelet drugs, statins, and antihypertensive and antidiabetics treatments.

As a result the vascular outcome occurred in 16 patients (2.9%) of the NeuroAiD™ group, as opposed to 31 patients (5.6%) in the placebo group (p=0.025). This represents half the rate of early cardiovascular events and deaths, which corresponds to about 27 fewer patients suffering a recurrent vascular event or death per 1000 patients treated over 3 months. 

On the safety side, there was no increase in bleeding and non-vascular deaths, confirming the compound's excellent safety profile, with patients on NeuroAiD™ having fewer adverse events than those in the placebo group.

Prof Marie-Germaine Bousser, former Head of Neurology department in Hopital Lariboisiere in Paris and co-author of the publication, said this study revealed a potentially important effect of NeuroAiD™ in reducing morbidity and mortality after ischemic stroke. "Only a limited number of treatments have been shown to reduce early recurrent vascular events and deaths after acute stroke, mainly using antiplatelet agents and their combinations. NeuroAiD™ having no effect on platelet aggregation or coagulation could be added to these drugs without increasing bleeding risk."

Prof Christopher Chen, neurologist at the National University of Singapore and the principal investigator of the CHIMES study, considers that pharmacological effects of NeuroAiD™ could explain the cardiovascular benefits observed in CHIMES trial. "NeuroAiD™ has been shown to increase cerebral blood flow velocity and to activate ATP-dependent potassium channels which play an important role in preconditioning, helping to improve tolerance of cerebral and myocardial tissues to ischemia. Further elucidate of other mechanisms of action of NeuroAiD™ in preventing vascular events would be very interesting."

This analysis was conducted by the CHIMES investigators, an international partnership of leaders in neurology, having carried out this large-scale trial to investigate the use of a product from natural substances in reducing disability and cardiovascular events after an acute stroke in a rigorous manner.

Occurring every 2 seconds, stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Each year, 20 million people suffer from the devastating disease. There is an increasing need for multi-modal therapies to help more patients recover quickly and effectively from stroke, and to prevent recurrent cardiovascular events.

About CHIMES Society

The CHIMES Society is a unique international partnership which consists of an innovative academic industry collaboration with the objective to establish new stroke treatments. CHIMES is a Singaporean non-profit society founded by a group of experts in stroke and South-East Asian stroke clinicians interested to implement a research project: the NeuroAiD™ Efficacy on stroke recovery trial (CHIMES trial).

The CHIMES Study received a research grant from the National Medical Research Council in Singapore (NMRC) which supports the implementation of CHIMES trial in Singapore.

About Moleac

To address therapeutic gaps, Moleac has pioneered a new drug development approach, looking at sources of innovation from Traditional Medicines, hence shortening considerably drug development cycle time and investment to bring medicine to sufferers' unaddressed needs. Moleac's neurorestorative drug NeuroAiD™ reaches patients in more than 30 countries.

SOURCE Chimes Society